Stuart Weir presents a column from most of the British performance meetings. Here is Stewart’s column on Lausanne.
The British at Lausanne
The Paris Olympics were disappointing for Dina Usher-Smith. He failed to qualify for the 100m final and finished fourth in the 200m, just missing out on a medal. He ran arguably his best race of the year in Lausanne, winning the 100m in 10.88. Then he said: “It’s always great to be in Switzerland and the Swiss crowd is so warm and welcoming. After the Olympics I took some time to refocus and now I’m just enjoying running, feeling fit and injury free. I’m excited to continue to the next two races in Silesia and Zurich, where the track and atmosphere are amazing. Besides, there’s always chocolate.” Darryl Neita was seventh.
Dina’s work was not yet done as she was part of the GB Women’s Sprint Relay team which won in 42.03. The team, which included two changes from the silver medalists in Paris, commented: “The crowd was crazy and the hype really got us. From the moment the gun went off, we knew it was on. Dina tore it up on the first leg and we kept the momentum going. Our deliveries were spot on and everything was perfect. We are so happy with the victory. How could we not be? Next, we focused on more wins and headed to Tokyo 2025. For now, maybe an ice cream to celebrate.”
So now we know the secret to GB sprinting: chocolate and ice cream.
The women’s 800m was a thriller, with the first nine athletes running under 2m. Mary Moraa won in 1:57.91 from Georgia Bell (1:58.53) and Gemma Rickey (1:58.73). Then Ricky said. “The race was a bit rusty and I ran slower than I wanted, but it was the first since Paris so it was always going to be the hardest. I will focus on recovery and getting back into training quickly. It was hard, but I’m glad to be back. By the end of the season I’m aiming to get close to my personal best from London and I’m excited for what lies ahead.” What a performance by Georgia Bell to follow up medals at the World Indoor and Olympic Games. Jenny Meadows wrote on Twitter:
Matt Hudson-Smith won the 400 in 43.96, with Charlie Dobson fifth in 44.53.
George Mills, who ran the 1500 and 5k in Paris, was 13 years oldth 1500 in Lausanne in 3:36.80.
